Wouw
Encyclopedia
Wouw is a village between the cities Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom
. It is situated in the southern Netherlands
in the province of North Brabant
. It is close to the border with Belgium
.
Until 1997 Wouw was the seat of the municipality
of Wouw. The municipality consisted of the villages of Wouw, Heerle
, Wouwse Plantage and Moerstraten. Since 1997 Wouw has been a part of the municipality of Roosendaal.
In 2007 Wouw celebrated its 775 existence.
The grounds outside the castle were known to be very fertile and many farms were to be found there. The lord could see and thus supervise all the farmer's grounds from his castle. The lord also had a military role. For example, he fought in several battles.
After the discovery of gunpowder the inhabitants of the castle wouldn't be safe anymore. The castle is one of the first castles which was strengthened by fortification
s. During the Eighty Years' War the castle was captured several times. As a consequence the inhabitants eventually fled. The castle was inhabited from 1583 till 1594. Since then the castle has had many uses but eventually it slowly vanished.
Nowadays nothing much can be seen of the castle. Plants have been planted on the foundation of the castle so you can still see where some of the buildings were.
In 2007, Wouw celebrated its 775th year of existence.
Bergen op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands.-History:Bergen op Zoom was granted city status probably in 1266. In 1287 the city and its surroundings became a lordship as it was separated from the lordship of Breda. The lordship was elevated to a margraviate...
. It is situated in the southern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the province of North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
. It is close to the border with Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Until 1997 Wouw was the seat of the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Wouw. The municipality consisted of the villages of Wouw, Heerle
Heerle
Heerle is a village in the municipality of Roosendaal, in the Dutch province of North Brabant....
, Wouwse Plantage and Moerstraten. Since 1997 Wouw has been a part of the municipality of Roosendaal.
In 2007 Wouw celebrated its 775 existence.
The castle of Wouw
Between Wouw and Heerle there used to be a castle. This castle is first mentioned in 1379 as "Het Huis te Woude", which means: The House in Woude. (Woude=Wouw). It was a round castle surrounded by a body of water. This provided protection to its lord and its inhabitants.The grounds outside the castle were known to be very fertile and many farms were to be found there. The lord could see and thus supervise all the farmer's grounds from his castle. The lord also had a military role. For example, he fought in several battles.
After the discovery of gunpowder the inhabitants of the castle wouldn't be safe anymore. The castle is one of the first castles which was strengthened by fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s. During the Eighty Years' War the castle was captured several times. As a consequence the inhabitants eventually fled. The castle was inhabited from 1583 till 1594. Since then the castle has had many uses but eventually it slowly vanished.
Nowadays nothing much can be seen of the castle. Plants have been planted on the foundation of the castle so you can still see where some of the buildings were.
In 2007, Wouw celebrated its 775th year of existence.